Real-world economic value of a 21-gene assay in early-stage breast cancer

TY - JOUR

T1 - Real-world economic value of a 21-gene assay in early-stage breast cancer

AU - Waintraub, Stanley E.

AU - McNamara, Donna

AU - Graham, Deena Mary Atieh

AU - Pecora, Andrew L.

AU - Min, John

AU - Wu, Tommy

AU - Noh, Hyun Gi

AU - Connors, Jacqueline

AU - Pe Benito, Ruth

AU - Choi, Kelly

AU - Schultz, Eric

AU - Goldberg, Stuart L.

PY - 2017/12/1

Y1 - 2017/12/1

N2 - OBJECTIVES: Value-based payment reforms shift cost-containment responsibilities to the physician. Although gene expression profiling (GEP) utilizing a 21-gene panel among patients with early-stage, axillary lymph node-negative, hormone receptor-positive, HER2/neu oncogene-negative breast cancer is able to identify a cohort that may achieve excellent outcomes without adjuvant chemotherapy, high up-front costs (list price, $4175) could dissuade usage.STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of consecutive patients with breast cancer treated at a single cancer center.METHODS: Chart review of 227 patients 70 years or younger with outpatient costs (ie, drug average sales price, reagent costs, physician charges) during first 6 months of treatment.RESULTS: Of these patients, 68% underwent GEP, with 52%, 43%, and 5% having low, intermediate, and high recurrence risk scores, respectively. Adjuvant chemotherapy was utilized less in genomically profiled cohorts (19% vs 29%; P = .08) and was consistent with recommendations of the recurrence scores. The mean 6-month outpatient costs were $24,955 with adjuvant chemotherapy and $2654 with hormonal therapy. Patients with stage II cancer undergoing GEP received adjuvant chemotherapy at a lower frequency (28.6% vs 86.7%), but patients with stage I cancer who underwent testing were slightly more likely to receive chemotherapy (15.8% vs 14%) because the test identified patients with higher-risk tumors. Universal GEP testing of patients with stage II cancer would have resulted in net savings of $11,494 per patient inclusive of test cost; stage I testing would have increased costs by $4505. Similar trends for grade 2/3 tumors (-$2394) and grade 1 tumors (+$6047) were noted.CONCLUSIONS: Universal GEP testing of women 70 years or younger with stage II or grade 2/3 lymph node-negative breast cancers would result in lower outpatient costs, inclusive of the diagnostic test, within the first 6-month episode of care.

AB - OBJECTIVES: Value-based payment reforms shift cost-containment responsibilities to the physician. Although gene expression profiling (GEP) utilizing a 21-gene panel among patients with early-stage, axillary lymph node-negative, hormone receptor-positive, HER2/neu oncogene-negative breast cancer is able to identify a cohort that may achieve excellent outcomes without adjuvant chemotherapy, high up-front costs (list price, $4175) could dissuade usage.STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of consecutive patients with breast cancer treated at a single cancer center.METHODS: Chart review of 227 patients 70 years or younger with outpatient costs (ie, drug average sales price, reagent costs, physician charges) during first 6 months of treatment.RESULTS: Of these patients, 68% underwent GEP, with 52%, 43%, and 5% having low, intermediate, and high recurrence risk scores, respectively. Adjuvant chemotherapy was utilized less in genomically profiled cohorts (19% vs 29%; P = .08) and was consistent with recommendations of the recurrence scores. The mean 6-month outpatient costs were $24,955 with adjuvant chemotherapy and $2654 with hormonal therapy. Patients with stage II cancer undergoing GEP received adjuvant chemotherapy at a lower frequency (28.6% vs 86.7%), but patients with stage I cancer who underwent testing were slightly more likely to receive chemotherapy (15.8% vs 14%) because the test identified patients with higher-risk tumors. Universal GEP testing of patients with stage II cancer would have resulted in net savings of $11,494 per patient inclusive of test cost; stage I testing would have increased costs by $4505. Similar trends for grade 2/3 tumors (-$2394) and grade 1 tumors (+$6047) were noted.CONCLUSIONS: Universal GEP testing of women 70 years or younger with stage II or grade 2/3 lymph node-negative breast cancers would result in lower outpatient costs, inclusive of the diagnostic test, within the first 6-month episode of care.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85051501185

M3 - Article

C2 - 29261249

SN - 1088-0224

VL - 23

SP - e416-e420

JO - American Journal of Managed Care

JF - American Journal of Managed Care

IS - 12

ER -